Mary McMahon received a personal educational experience that gave her the chance to explore her interests in both the undergraduate and graduate programs in speech language pathology.
Mary chose the 杏吧专区 for college because it was 杏吧专区渢he perfect fit,杏吧专区 she said.
杏吧专区淚 thought it was big enough for me to spread my wings but not so big to where I became just a number in any of my classes,杏吧专区 she said. 杏吧专区淚 was able to get to know my professors and was easily able to schedule meetings with them when I was struggling with a topic in class.杏吧专区
Mary majored in speech pathology and audiology, a decision she made largely because of her aunt杏吧专区檚 career as an audiologist. At UL Lafayette, Mary was able to learn about the range of fields and disciplines within speech-language pathology, leading her to discover her passion.
杏吧专区淎lthough many people associate a speech-language pathologist with helping children who struggle with language or speech disorders, I杏吧专区檓 passionate about working with adults who have experienced strokes or traumatic brain injuries,杏吧专区 she said.
杏吧专区淭he opportunity to walk alongside a patient and their family on their road to recovery, helping them regain their ability to communicate, is an experience unlike any other.杏吧专区
She continued that exploration in speech-language pathology in the here at UL Lafayette.
杏吧专区淭he field of speech-language pathology involves so many clinical areas, and all of my professors and clinical supervisors have pushed me to delve into the areas that interest me most,杏吧专区 she said.
杏吧专区淯L Lafayette has one of the few master杏吧专区檚 degree programs for speech-language pathology where electives are offered,杏吧专区 she said. 杏吧专区淭his allowed me to learn more about how speech-language pathologists can serve the adult and geriatric populations.杏吧专区
Mary also got experience working with clients in UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 on-campus through her graduate classes.
Classes in motor speech disorders and neurogenic voice disorders gave her the opportunity to dive deeper into the research and use the information to improve treatment plans for her clients, particularly for people with Parkinson杏吧专区檚 Disease.
杏吧专区淧rofessors went above and beyond teaching us the theory behind many of the treatments and interventions we utilize in UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Speech, Language, and Hearing Center, allowing us to be able to make our own educated decisions when choosing evidence-based practice in our future careers,杏吧专区 she said.
Critically reading research and using it to improve clients杏吧专区 treatment is the most valuable skill Mary learned in her speech-language pathology program at UL Lafayette.
杏吧专区淭he field of medical speech-language pathology is constantly evolving, meaning that it杏吧专区檚 impossible for me to learn everything I need to know for the rest of my career in graduate school,杏吧专区 she said.
杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檓 thankful that my professors and clinical supervisors have taught me how to apply clinical research into my therapy sessions and to read research articles with a critical eye, allowing me to continually implement evidence-based practice in my treatment,杏吧专区 she said.